Above: Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations Maria Emma Mejia Velez (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Maria Emma Mejia Velez, the head of the Union of South American nations, held talks in New York Tuesday on issues including the Falkland Islands and sustainable development.

Ban and Mejia Velez exchanged views on international efforts to advance global sustainable development during the meeting, with Ban focusing on the importance of a successful outcome at the upcoming Rio+20 sustainable development in Brazil.

He also thanked Mejia Velez for UNASUR’s contribution and support in the ongoing reconstruction of Haiti following the devastating earthquake in 2010.

The Secretary General said there was strong regional support on the issue, which has also come from Caribbean nations.

Two CARICOM members, Guyana and Suriname, are members of the Union of South American Nations.